The Sacred Path of Generosity and the Unfolding of Unitary Consciousness
In Honor of My Ancestors, on the Morning of My 81st Winter Count, July 3, 2025
This morning, as the Sun rose above the eastern horizon and the songs of the birds gave praise to our Creator, I sat quietly in prayer. I called upon the wisdom of those who have walked the Red Road before me, my Mother and Fathers, my Aunts and Uncles, my Grandmothers and Grandfather’s, both blood and hunka, whose footprints remain etched in the sacred memory of the land and the marrow of our bones.
With all that is unfolding around us, wars of spiritual sickness, politics of division, relentless ecological collapse, I asked from the depth of my being: What is the best Path forward through these deeply challenging times?
As I reached out in this way, I felt called to pick up the sacred words of my Unci, Ella Deloria. When I opened her book, my eyes were immediately drawn to a powerful teaching from one of our Ihanktonwan Grandfathers. This learning carried the scent of sage and the breath of ancient fires:
“My children, never skimp. Give adequately in a manner worthy of yourselves, or not at all. Give abundantly and with glorious abandon... Pity the cowards who gives half, holding back, timid for their private security because they do not put their faith in the people, but in mere chattel… In the endless process of giving, that is bound to be so.”
Throughout the morning and afternoon, I kept this teaching in my heart and mind, turning it over and over. Its meaning is not only timeless, but it is also urgently relevant. This is the Way of our People, the Ihanktonwan Dakota, and indeed, many Indigenous Nations throughout the Americas and across Mother Earth.
My mother and father lived this teaching not just in words, but in every breath and every gesture. No one ever came to our home without receiving a warm welcome, a hot cup of coffee or herbal tea, and a good meal. Even if there was little, there was always enough. And you were always taught: Never turn down a gift of food or water, except with gratitude, even if you have eaten five times before. It is the spirit of giving and receiving that matters most.
In our ways, generosity is not weakness. It is sacred strength. It is a form of spiritual power rooted in trust, not in possessions or property, but in the unseen laws of reciprocity and the spiritual economy of Wakan Tanka, the Great Mystery.
This is the wóičak’uŋ, the spiritual act of giving without calculation, without seeking return, with confidence that what flows out with love will return with abundance when the time is right.
This is not just a moral code. It is a law of the universe, older than empires, deeper than money, and more enduring than any human-made system. It is a sacred spiritual law.
And this, my beloved Relatives, stands in direct contrast to the dark systems that have dominated this era of human history. These systems, capitalism, colonialism, nationalism, and communism, were not born from the womb of Mother Earth, and they have no spiritual foundation. They were forged from the cold machinery of control, greed, and fear, and the belief that materialism, depending on how it is approached, is the source of true joy and happiness.
They measure life by what can be extracted, bought, or sold. They see land not as Sacred, but as "property." They measure success not by the health of the community, but by the accumulation of individual wealth.
And yet, these systems are unraveling. Their days are numbered, not because of any violent revolution, but because they are not in harmony with the laws of life. They are not rooted in wóyute, the nourishing truth. They are not guided by wóksape, sacred wisdom. Nor do they embody wóohitika, courage, or wówačhaŋtognaka, generosity of heart.
They crumble because they have no roots in the Spirit.
These systems divide and conquer. They thrive on gossip, backbiting, jealousy, and internalized oppression, what some call lateral violence. These are not just personal flaws. These are spiritual illnesses, and they are contagious if not addressed with ceremony, prayer, and truth-telling.
But let us remember: all the darkness in the universe cannot extinguish the light of a single candle. Darkness is not a force. Darkness is simply the absence of light. Just as ignorance is not a presence—it is the absence of knowledge. When we light even one small flame of spiritual truth, it can guide an entire people home.
This is not the time for despair. This is the time for sacred clarity.
As we stand now at the threshold of a New Day, a Day long promised by the Elders and foreseen in the Sacred Prophecies, we are not being asked to fight with the tools of the old world. We are being called to embody a higher consciousness, a more profound knowing, a more courageous love. We are being asked to live Unitary Consciousness, rooted in Justice, not judgment; in Unity, not uniformity; in Truth, not ideology.
Let us be clear: this transformation is not cosmetic. It is not a reform. It is an organic change, a purification of the heart, and a return to the Sacred Circle of Life. It cannot be forced from the outside. It must arise from within.
As our ancestors taught us, actual change begins in the inner world. A person who cannot govern their tongue cannot lead others. A person who cannot sit in silence cannot speak the truth. A person who cannot forgive cannot heal.
Let us return to the Red Road—the Sacred Path that teaches us to walk in beauty, balance, humility, and reverence under all conditions.
Let us reject the sickness of prejudice and the poison of ego. Let us remember the eternal truth: The Hurt of One is the Hurt of All. The Honor of One is the Honor of All.
We must not judge others by skin color, status, wealth, or affiliation. These are temporary garments. What endures is the spirit. And every spirit is sacred.
It is time now for us to purify our Sacred Circles. Let the backbiting end. Let the gossip end. Let the harsh looks and cruel words disappear. Let the slander be burned away in the fires of truth and compassion.
The Dawn has already broken. The Day that shall not be followed by night has begun. The prophecies, yes, the Sacred Promises, are being fulfilled, just as our Elders said they would be.
So even if we are few, and our resources are limited, let us not be afraid. Because the Sacred Power that guides us, the Power of Wakan Tanka, the Power of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, of our Ancestors and the Sacred Pipe, is limitless in range and incalculable in its potency.
Yes, we will face fierce resistance. Every step forward will be met with opposition. But invisible spiritual forces, those known and unknown, seen and unseen, are rushing to our aid. We are not alone.
Let the new systems we build be rooted in love, not fear. In reciprocity, not exploitation. In spiritual knowledge, not material power.
Let us become the living proof that another world is possible—not someday, but now. In our lifetimes. On this sacred Mother Earth. With these hands, these prayers, and this love.
And now, the fire is in our hands. Let us walk the Red Road. Together. Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ. All My Relations.
Reflections-Completing my 81st Winter, July 3, 2025
Šuŋ́kmanu hé miye do- Čhaŋnúpa Sápa hé miye do
Híŋhaŋ Wičhášta and Delória Tióšpaye, Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋ and Chikashsha Nations
